The apprentice-designed hot hatch debuts tomorrow.

VW fanboys everywhere await the annual Worthersee gathering in Austria, where some of the most extravagant Golf and GTI builds come out to play. This year should be no different and, once again, Wolfsburg is bringing out a concept for faithful to fawn over.

Already we’ve seen the GTI in question teased courtesy of an early leaked rendering, but now VW has dropped an official teaser for its hot new hatchback concept. Apart from the concept fully covered in one image, a moody teaser shows the GTI shrouded by darkness, showing off its headlights, taillights, and rear design.

Five men and women between the ages of 18 and 23 came together to develop the concept in question using CAD and 3D printing technology. The rear panel – pictured here in the teaser – uses multiple shades of blue and was created entirely on a graphics tablet. It even appears to have some sort of luminescent properties to it.

The cabin, meanwhile, is controlled by an app, allowing the user to adjust the drivers seat in real time. Team spokesperson, Eric Miguel Lehrach (21), says that the control system “is a real innovation,” and that the “sports seat is adjusted electrically using a touch function from a tablet PC or a smartphone”.

This year marks the 36th anniversary for Worthersee, and the 10th year in a row that VW will have a concept on display. The first was the Golf GTI Performance concept from 2008, and last year we saw the 400-horsepower GTI heartbeat, which wore a unique two-tone silver and chrome finish.

Hopefully this year’s concept will be able to live up to expectations. Other members of the VW Group, including Audi, Skoda, and SEAT, are also likely to bring their own respective concepts to the event when doors open this Wednesday, May 24. We can't wait.

Source: VW

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Volkswagen plant Wolfsburg, Quality Assurance, Final Vehicle Inspection. 13 apprentices from Volkswagen and Sitech are confirming the final quality audit for their Wörthersee GTI 2017. Experts are closely scrutinizing their unique Golf GTI. The budding skilled workers from six training vocations have equipped the car with optical and technical refinements selected in line with their own tastes – for example with an intuitive app control feature for the driver’s seat using a tablet PC. The apprentices, with project manager Holger Schülke, are relieved and rather proud when the quality assurance experts give their verdict: the apprentices’ GTI 2017 is “seaworthy” for its premiere on the Wörthersee on Wednesday, May 24

Team spokesperson Eric Miguel Lehrach (21) presents one of the technical refinements of the unique 2017 GTI: “The app control for the driver’s seat is a real innovation. The top sports seat is adjusted electrically using a touch function from a tablet PC or a smartphone,” says the apprentice motor vehicle mechatronics technician. GTI drivers can find the ideal seat position easily and intuitively without having to search for switches on the seat or press button on the dashboard. The app controls a total of six functions: longitudinal and height positioning, rake of the seat and backrest, adjustment of the lumbar support and activation of various massage profiles for the lower part of the back. A memory function stores the duration, intensity and sequence of the profiles. The seat control app is a prototype resolving from an innovation project of Sitech and Electronic Development of Volkswagen Component. The prototype is being used for the first time on the Wörthersee GTI 2017.

The Wörthersee GTI 2017 faces extremely high expectations because this is the 10th show car presented at the lakeside meet since apprentices from Wolfsburg created the Golf GTI Performance in 2008.

In the meantime, the five young women and eight men have packed spare parts, care products and tools into crates and covered their GTI up for shipment to Austria. Their anticipation is growing steadily ahead of the presentation of their very special Golf GTI, which is unique.

Picture captions:Still secret: the Wörthersee GTI 2017. The premiere is on Wednesday, May 24 in Carinthia (Austria)Seat app controls six functions of the top sports seat via touchscreen from a tablet or smartphone